Bill would donate congressional office savings to Treasury

Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Ron Kind has an idea to chip away at the federal deficit: Give congressional office budget savings to the Treasury.

Kind introduced legislation directing the department to use funds returned from Capitol Hill offices for deficit reduction.

Kind, who’s served in the House since 1997, said he’s returned more than $1.6 million to the Treasury since taking office.

{mosads}“This legislation would ensure the money given back by my office and others like mine is used to pay down the debt and not for any other purpose,” Kind said in a statement.

A number of lawmakers have also touted finding office savings to help reduce the deficit as a means of demonstrating frugality with taxpayer funds. Surplus funds in congressional office budgets could alternatively be used for hiring new staff or giving staff raises, among other possibilities.

For instance, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) returned $225,000 in savings earlier this year, which he said amounts to more than $1.2 million over six years.

“Our team is frugal, and our Texas taxpayers appreciate it,” Brady said in a May press release.